Transfer



May 23 1939. w. s. GAYLORD, JR 2,159,693

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE kinds, metal and metal foils, plastics ofall types, 2 q painted, lacquered and varnished surfaces, cloth a 5 andtextiles of all weaves and patterns, glass, f and in general all'kindsand types of surfaces and materials. Decorations by this method areeffected, by means of a transfer operating under [heat and pressure. Thetransfer may be applied by high speed machinery to any of the abovemention d surfaces and materials. The transfer liquid, as in the case ofordinary decalcomanias, nor is it dependent upon a fusible material con-.decorated. It is in these respects, among others, that it possessesnovelty and special utility. A principal object of this invention is topro- 20. vide an inexpensive and practical transfer. e Another importantobject is. the manufacture of' a transfer capable of mechanicalapplication 1 at high production speeds. By my method, the

graphic or planographic. The transfer may be printed eitherinsheets orrolls, and if printed in sought to bedecorated by means of amechanizocally driven heatedcylinder operating at high.

v transferred to base materials by means of either a heated cylinder or;aheated platen of the .plate t pe. i e r .135 Still another importantobject of this invenflterials which 1m well-known, inexpensive andreadily obtainable, Commercial grades of printing inks are used withoutmodificationor addi- I non of other elements. Commercial grades, ofpaper are used as temporary carrying or, backer sheets. l i

. g I Another important object of this invention has been the adaptationof the process to existing {45 machinery, rather than the construction.of if ispecial machinery for the manufacture of trans- :ture to aminimum and have produced a'transfer Flowhich can be manufactured in anyordinary operation does not depend upon the use of a f ltained inthepigmented decorative medium, nor upon prior processing of thelbasematerial to be transfer designs may be printed upon any known 5 type ofprinting machine, whether intaglio, typo- [rolls may beqtransferredtothe base material speed. If printed insheets, the designs may be] tionis the" manufacture of a transfer from mayIhave reduced specialprocessing in manufac printing shop. Theonly limitations. upon thev 1.William with Games, In, Summit, N. J.

Application December 20, 1937, Serial No. 180,885

11 Claims. (01.4143) This invention relates to a new 'method of,decoration in one or more colors for woods of all heretofore beenperfected wherein the best features of a decalcomania were combined withthe best features of a heat transfer. That is to say, decalcomanias, i.e., that type of transfer which is applied by means of water solubleadhe- 5 sive orits equivalent, have been free from such problems as lossof color in application, bleeding of the ink, and the like. It has beenpossible to print fine screen work on a wet type decalcomania paper andto reproduce multicolor work of in- 10 tricate and detailed design. Ithas not been possible, however, to apply this type of transfer tobasematerials economically by ,mechanical means. Heat transfers, on theother hand, have permitted easy and speedy application, but with 1definite limitations as to the scope of printing, the faithfulnessofreproducing detailed designs on thebase material owing to the fusiblesubstance contained in the decorative medium used in their manufacture,and the application to non- 2o porous surfaces, by which I mean glass,metal and the like. My invention combines the best features of each typeof transfer with no limitations a ing drawing, the present invention ischaracterized by a temporary carrier or backer sheet of paper I;' a film2 of thermoplastic lacquer or synthetic resin; a design layer 3 appliedto the lacquer or synthetic resin and preferably composed of ordinaryprinting inks; a film 4 of pigmented ink, lacquer or varnish; and a film5 of thermoplastic cement or adhesive which is fusible under heat andpressure.

To effect a transferto a base material 6, the 40 transfer is placed withthe exposed surface of the thermoplastic cement or adhesive film 5contacting the surface of the base material. Heat and pressure are thenapplied to the exposedplain face of the carrier member or backer sheet I5 I by means of a heated cylinder or platen 1 and a cooperating pressuremember or roll 8. The heat from the cylinder or platen 1 softens thethermoplastic lacquer film 2 so as to release it from the backer sheetI, and causes the thermoplastic cementor adhesive film 5 to fuse andgrip the base 'material, forming a quick, strong and uniform film ofthermoplastic lacquer or synthetic resin 2 which acted as a printingsurface while attached to the backer sheet I, but which has now become atough, resilient, protective coating over the ink film or design 3,giving to the design permanence v and strength which makes it resistantto friction,

solvent action, and wear of other kinds.

Using a mechanically driven cylinder heated to a temperature of 200 to250 degrees F., I have decorated 20 to 30 linear feet per minute of basematerial the width of the cylinder.

A platen press with aplate heated to to degrees F. and one to twoseconds application of pressure may be used where the base materialwilllnot stand rolling pressure.

For the carrier or backer sheet of paper i my tests have proven that anybase paper stock can be adapted, so long as it will produce a carrierwhich is impervious to the thermoplastic lacquer. However, some paperstock is better for the purpose than others. A glassine sheet, with abase weight of from 30 to 50 pounds to the ream, is satisfactory.Standard gummed stock, such as is ordinarily sold in rolls to be used inwrapping packages, is also very satisfactory. Without limiting myself toany one paper, I have found that the best results are obtained, from thepoint of view of strength and ease of handling, with the use of a densekraft sheet, weighing about 30 pounds to the standard ream, and coatedwith the following formula:

In 400 parts by weight of water, I heat until dissolved by weight 30parts gelatin, 1 part vegetable oil soap, 2 parts glycerine, 15 partsdextrine, 2 parts carbonate of soda, 2 parts boric acid, and 5 partspotash alum. After a smooth suspension is obtained and the temperatureof the mixture has returned to 100 degrees F., I add to the above 5parts egg albumin in 100 parts water.

This gives a coating material basically'a colloid, the viscosity ofwhich may be varied by more or less water, so as to controlthepenetration of it into the carrier or backer sheet I, and thuscontrol the finish of the sheet itself when coated.

By varying the viscosity of the coating, I can give the backer sheet anyfinish I may desire, from a mat finish to a high gloss, which finishwill in turn be transmitted to the film of lacquer or synthetic resin 2when a transfer is made to a base material. Four dehydrated pounds ofthe above solution to a standard ream, 25 inches by 38 inches and30-lb., of paper will produce a transfer with a dull mat finish. A moreviscous solution, depositing say 16 pounds of coating to the ream asabove, gives a glossy finish to the transferred design. The aboveweights, 1. e., 4 and 16 pounds, designate the increase in the weight ofthe paper after coating and after the coating has dried, and thusindicate the amount of solid material added to the ream.

This solution can be applied to the paper in a standard gumming machine.Glassine paper and the standard gummed stock mentioned above do notrequire any additional coating and may be used as ordinarily purchasedcommercially. The object of thiscoating is to prevent penetration of thethermoplastic lacquer or synthetic resin film 2 intothe carrier orbacker sheet of paper, and this fact, of course, gives me an infinitevariety of paper stock to choose from which I For the thermoplasticlacquer or synthetic resin I film. 2, I have obtained good resultswithnitro cellulose and cellulose acetate base lacquers of commercial grade.Pyroxylin lacquer will also serve, as will a lacquer made of aco-polymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate in acetone and amylacetate.

A commercial synthetic resin of this nature is Vinylite" which ismanufactured by the Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation. It is mypractice to dissolve this resin in metho-iso-butylketone and thin itwith toluol.

Improved results of a very high order have been obtained with this vinyltype lacquer. It will soften under a low heat. This property permits itto be used as a laminating agent of itself. It possesses great internalcohesion and tensile strength, which properties allow it to be strippedfrom a hacker sheet without breaking. The elasticity of the lacquer issufiicient to permit the decorated work to be shaped or even embossedwithout injury to the protective film on the face of the transfer.

Another desirable attribute of the lacquer which has been described isthat it is impervious to water,-alcohol, and many of the commonsolvents. For this reason it affords excellent protection to thetransferred design.

The lacquers or synthetic resins of film 2 may be made of the properviscosity to be applied to the carrier or backer paper I by means of acommercial varnishing machine, gumming machine or printing machine.

The thermoplastic lacquer or synthetic resin film 2 should be clear,sheet-forming and tough. A film which will re-harden readily uponexposure to air after fusing and removal of its backer sheet is idealfor many purposes to which my invention is adapted. In some cases it maybe founddesirable to use a rubbing and polishing lacquer where the basematerial to be decorated is afterwards to be refinished.

As I have already intimated, the printing or decorating medium termeddesign 3 may be printing ink of commercial grade. A typical printing inkwill be found to contain lamp-black or aniline dyes and linseed oil ormineral oils. As is well known, such inks are indelible. I have usedmany types of commercial printing inks in the development of thisinvention and .have found all of them to be usable without the additionof special ingredients. The general requirements for the ink are thoserequired by the type of printing being done. Inks are used as though theprinting were being done on any commercial printing job. Any one skilledin the art of making printing inkcan readily supply an ink possessingsuitable characteristics for this purpose.

The background film I of pigmented ink, lacquer or varnish may beapplied to make the design 3 sufiiciently opaque to obliteratecompletely the base material towhich it is transferred. Where a darkbackground is being decorated, it is sometimes necessary to increase theopacity of the design in order to obtain the desired brilliance ofcolor. This also is accomplished by the use of the film 4. On the otherhand, where for example fine wood grains are being decorated by thisprocess. it may be desirable to have the grain of the wood a part of thedesign. In this instance, the opacity is not desirable and the film lisomitted. There are no particular re- .quirements for this film, goodcommercial grades of any of the media used for the purpose being easilyobtainable as standard products from reputable ink and paintmanufacturers.

The film of thermoplastic cement or adhesive 5 may be omitted in caseswhere it is not essential to the satisfactory application of thetransfer. If the base materialto be decorated is a .closely woven clothor ground cork, for example, where the surface is porous and uniform andhighly absorptive, and if a thermoplastic lacquer such as syntheticvinyl co-polymeris used as the lacquer film 2, it will be found thatwith the applicationof pressure and sufficient heat to the back of thecarrier paper I, the ink design 3 and the thermoplastic vinyl resin film2 will bond to the base material without the use of a thermoplasticcement or adhesive such as the film 5. Under sufficient heat the lacquerfilm 2does not merely soften to release the backer sheet paper .shouldpreferably be fusible at temperatures of 200 to 250 degrees F. It shoulddry rapidly and hard at room temperature and remain in such condition atshipping and handling temperatures. It should be of'such viscosity as topermit of its handlingin a standard roller coating machine; orpreferably in a printing press. It

should be resistant to abrasion and chemical action.

I have found that lower melting resins of the phenol aldehyde group 65parts, tri-cresyl phosphate 3 parts, tri-phenyl phosphate 6 parts,dissolved in 65 parts "Solvesso No. (a commercial solvent manufacturedby the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey) and the whole emulsified in 30parts water gives a very strong adhesive.

Pine rosin plasticized with gum mastic in the proportion 10 rosin to 1mastic, dissolved in fSolvesso No. 1 to the proper viscosity gives asatisfactory fusible cement.

By the same treatment I have adapted guttapercha, rubber latex, andanimal glue plasticized with glycerine.

I have also made good thermoplastic cements by using a film of overprintvarnish or magnesium ground in No. 1 linseed oil dusted with 60 to 80mesh, low-melting, powdered resins, both natural and synthetic. For thislast adhesive, the varnish or magnesium film must be fresh so as to holdthe powder on its moist surface.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tose'cureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A transfer of the heat and pressure type comprising an imperviousbacker sheet, a thermoplastic lacquer film on said'backer sheet, aprinted design on the side of the lacquer film which is opposite thebacker sheet, a background film of pigment covering the printed design,and

a film of thermoplastic adhesive overlying the film of pigment. 2. Thecombination defined in claim 1 with a backer sheet which hasbeenrendered impervious by the application of a colloidal sizingcomposed of gelatin, vegetable oil soap, glycerine, dextrine, carbonateof soda, boric acid, albumin, and potash alum.

3. In a transfer of the heat and pressure type, the'combinationcomprising an impervious backer sheet, a thermoplastic lacquer film onsaid backer sheet, a printed design on the side of the lacquer filmopposite the backer sheet, and-a background film of pigment over saidprinted design. i

4. The combination defined in claim 3 having a backer sheet coated witha colloidal sizing of gelatin, vegetable oil soap, glycerine, dextrine,carbonate of soda, boric acid, albumin, and potash alum. a

5. A transfer of the heat and pressure type which includes an imperviousbacker sheet, a thermoplastic lacquer film on said backer sheet,

. a design printed on the side of the lacquer film which is opposite thebacker sheet, and a film of thermoplastic adhesive overlying saiddesign.

6. A transfer of the heat and pressure type which includes, incombination, an impervious backer member, a thermoplastic lacquer filmon said backer member, a design layer on the side of the lacquer filmwhich is opposite the hacker member, and a film of thermoplasticadhesive overlying said design layer.

7. The combination defined in claim 5 with a backer sheet which has beenrendered impervious by the application of a colloidal sizing composed ofgelatin, vegetable oil soap, glycerine,

dextrine, carbonate of soda, boric acid, albumin,

and potash alum.

8. .A heat and pressure type of transfer which includes an imperviousbacker sheet, a thermoplastic lacquer film on said backer sheet, and aprinted design on the side of the lacquer film whichis opposite thebacker sheet..

9. In the combination recited in claim 8, a backer sheet which has beenrendered impervious by the application of a colloidal sizing composed ofgelatin, vegetable oil soap, gi ceilue, dextrine, carbonate. of soda,boric acid, albumin, and potash alum.

10. In a transfer of the heat and pressure type, the combinationcomprising an impervious backer sheet, a thermoplastic vinyl resinlacquer film on said backer sheet, a printed design on said film on theside opposite the backer sheet,

and a film of thermoplastic adhesive overlying.

said design.

11. In a transfer of the heat and pressure type, the combination whichincludes an impervious backer sheet, a thermoplastic lacquer fllmcomprising a co-polymer of vinylchloride and vinyl acetate on saidbacker sheet, and a printed design on the film on the side opposite thehacker-! sheet. i

WILLIAM STANDISH GAYLORD, JR.

